Deposition-rate dependence of orientation growth and crystallization of Ti thin films prepared by magnetron sputtering

The effect of deposition rate on the microstructure of Ti thin films prepared by magnetron sputtering was investigated. The microstructure of Ti thin films was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy. The Ti thin films exhibit a composite structure of amorphous matrix embodied with nanocrystallines. The nanocrystallization is improved with the increase of deposition rate. XRD patterns show that the crystallographic orientation transits from random distribution to (002) preferred orientation, and this crystallographic growth texture is enhanced with increasing deposition rate. Three-dimensional hexagonal particles are formed at the deposition rate of 0.35 nm/s, while flaky slices occur at the surface at larger deposition rate. Moreover, the growth process of Ti thin films controlled by the deposition rate is discussed.